Airtel confusing TRAI regarding interconnection usage charges: Jio

Reliance Jio on Monday told the Indian telecom regulator that Bharti Airtel had made "purposeful endeavour to confuse" the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regarding interconnection usage charges (IUC).

"Airtel has purposefully endeavoured to confuse the issue by adjusting this recovery against its IUC pay-out of around ₹24,750 crore, which Airtel has already recovered as part of tariff from its subscribers," Jio said in a letter written to TRAI chairman RS Sharma.

"The amount which is already recovered from its customers in the form of retail tariff, as is evident from the differential on-net and off-net tariffs as high as ₹0.50/ minute in some of its tariff plans, cannot be again adjusted against total IUC receipt made by Airtel. Clearly, this subterfuge is created to reduce the impact of true excess recovery," the letter stated.

Jio has requested TRAI to "summarily dismiss this contention as this wrong argument is being merely used for shaping the Authority's stand on the issue and influencing the opinion of other stakeholders".

The letter said: "Airtel's representation on loss due to prevailing IUC rates is also grossly incorrect and fallacious."

It added: "We request that the Authority may take appropriate action against Airtel for such mischievous and frivolous submissions made well post the time allocated for additional submissions by the Authority during the open house discussions."